winter shed purchase - counselling needed
winter shed purchase - counselling needed
Author
Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

82 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
I'm obsessive with keeping my cars mint. Obsessive.

Ive got a few 'nice' cars but Ive been given an old shed - a 190k mile 2.2 diesel Jag X type owned by a friend.

It's been meticulously maintained mechanically and absolutely everything works and it drives amazing.

So much so that I'm smitten with how much car there is for nothing!

The rub is the aesthetics - body has a few parking dents, rear bumper has had a smart repair in past and all the clear coat is peeling and a couple of alloys are kerbed.

My head says clean it up, live with the aesthetics and enjoy an old smoker for peanuts.

My heart says take it to the bodyshop, get the paint sorted, get my PDR chap out and send out the wheels for a refurb as its really bugging me having a 'scruffy' car.

Thing is I'd end up sinking about 5/600 quid on a car thats worth 4/500 quid.

Help my to come to terms with its looks r should I bow to the urge and tidy it up?

Ive cleaned the interior and its great - just the bodywork lets it down

bearman68

4,929 posts

160 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
So, what's the question?

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

82 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
What to do really...spend or try to fight the urge to fix it up I guess

Levin

2,117 posts

152 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
Is it really only worth £500-ish? I would have guessed it'd be worth closer to double that, even in scruffy condition. If you smarten it up, you could probably sell it for more than that since people do like presentable cars. I'd say go for it, get it sorted out. You'll be happier with it and when it comes time to change it, the next buyer might also be appreciative.

Sebring440

3,186 posts

124 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
Levin said:
Is it really only worth £500-ish? I would have guessed it'd be worth closer to double that.
Seriously?

A 190K hyper-miler diesel?

A think £500 is a very optimistic estimate of value.

But the OP has nothing to lose by driving and enjoying the car.



LightningBlue

616 posts

69 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
£600 isn’t a lot to get it tidy. See it as the car purchase fee and your perception will change

Equus

16,980 posts

129 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
If it's tidy, people will take you for gammon.

At least if it's scruffy, they might just assume you're poor.

Levin

2,117 posts

152 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
Sebring440 said:
Seriously?

A 190K hyper-miler diesel?

A think £500 is a very optimistic estimate of value.

But the OP has nothing to lose by driving and enjoying the car.
I wasn't sure, residuals can be very different between England and Northern Ireland. For a big mileage diesel here you probably would be spending a bit more than £1000 unless you're buying rusty.

Jazoli

9,620 posts

278 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
Thing is you 'll get the bodywork tidy then you will get anxiety about parking it anywhere and it getting damaged, if the interior is in good condition and the car is mechanically sound just use it and enjoy it without having all the stress of perfect paintwork, been there, done that a few times and I'm much happier in a car with a ding or two as one more doesn't matter.

Finale

4,994 posts

107 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
Leave it scruffy and drive it like this paperbag

Megaflow

11,421 posts

253 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
I suspect it is going to cost a lot more than £600 to sort the cosmetics out. Given that it is worth broadly nothing, I say leave it as is and enjoy owning a car you really don’t give a s**t about. I joined that club earlier this year, it is a liberating place to be.

swisstoni

23,779 posts

307 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
Equus said:
If it's tidy, people will take you for gammon.

At least if it's scruffy, they might just assume you're poor.
That word again.

Hackney2

1,030 posts

121 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
lord trumpton said:
I'm obsessive with keeping my cars mint. Obsessive.

Ive got a few 'nice' cars but Ive been given an old shed - a 190k mile 2.2 diesel Jag X type owned by a friend.

It's been meticulously maintained mechanically and absolutely everything works and it drives amazing.

So much so that I'm smitten with how much car there is for nothing!

The rub is the aesthetics - body has a few parking dents, rear bumper has had a smart repair in past and all the clear coat is peeling and a couple of alloys are kerbed.

My head says clean it up, live with the aesthetics and enjoy an old smoker for peanuts.

My heart says take it to the bodyshop, get the paint sorted, get my PDR chap out and send out the wheels for a refurb as its really bugging me having a 'scruffy' car.

Thing is I'd end up sinking about 5/600 quid on a car thats worth 4/500 quid.

Help my to come to terms with its looks r should I bow to the urge and tidy it up?

Ive cleaned the interior and its great - just the bodywork lets it down
If you want to refurbish it,why not?It gives you some enjoyment as well!I would not be able to help my self!

Lester H

4,286 posts

133 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
Mint is very hard and expensive to achieve. However if you have a good relationship with a small body shop and obviously make clear that insurance isn’t involved ,the owner, particularly with cash visible, will do an adequate job which will take the eye away from blemishes. But ‘mint ‘ is a different challenge. When in the trade we had a great classic restorer linked to us who said - with justification- that he could make most cars like new, sometimes better. The cost and time involved was horrific. I visited a lot when his team were doing a pre - war Austin7. Even with its simple meccano like construction it took months to achieve.The owner wanted it ‘right’ When it was finished I asked Martyn what it was worth an he said ‘about tuppence ha’penny.’

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

82 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
Im edging to cleaning and polishing it best I can without spends and run it.

Its got a 12 month advisory free ticket and just serviced so its a gift really

Heres the interior






slk 32

1,529 posts

221 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
Jazoli said:
Thing is you 'll get the bodywork tidy then you will get anxiety about parking it anywhere and it getting damaged, if the interior is in good condition and the car is mechanically sound just use it and enjoy it without having all the stress of perfect paintwork, been there, done that a few times and I'm much happier in a car with a ding or two as one more doesn't matter.
^exactly this.

Being able to park your shed anywhere is incredibly liberating.

KnackeredOldBanger

251 posts

117 months

Saturday 25th September 2021
quotequote all
I'll give you £500 for it...

bearman68

4,929 posts

160 months

Sunday 26th September 2021
quotequote all
Keep the £600 for keeping the mechanicals right

jeremyh1

1,505 posts

155 months

Sunday 26th September 2021
quotequote all
OP if you want to plough some money into it and also bare in mind you might need to keep ploughing some money in It is worth keeping if you like it .

You could have a new car and look just like everybody else and we dont want that !

Tommie38

998 posts

222 months

Sunday 26th September 2021
quotequote all
lord trumpton said:
I'm obsessive with keeping my cars mint. Obsessive.

Ive got a few 'nice' cars but Ive been given an old shed - a 190k mile 2.2 diesel Jag X type owned by a friend.

It's been meticulously maintained mechanically and absolutely everything works and it drives amazing.

So much so that I'm smitten with how much car there is for nothing!

The rub is the aesthetics - body has a few parking dents, rear bumper has had a smart repair in past and all the clear coat is peeling and a couple of alloys are kerbed.

My head says clean it up, live with the aesthetics and enjoy an old smoker for peanuts.

My heart says take it to the bodyshop, get the paint sorted, get my PDR chap out and send out the wheels for a refurb as its really bugging me having a 'scruffy' car.

Thing is I'd end up sinking about 5/600 quid on a car thats worth 4/500 quid.

Help my to come to terms with its looks r should I bow to the urge and tidy it up?

Ive cleaned the interior and its great - just the bodywork lets it down
I’d be very surprised if you can fix that all for £500-£600. Definitely not up to a level that you could call mint.

Gut feeling, based on what you have said, is that if you did try to fix you would just keep putting money into it. Even if the mechanicals seem fine now I don’t doubt there are bills around the corner…